


A Day in the Life

by Malkuthe



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Non-Penetrative Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 03:42:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8041177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malkuthe/pseuds/Malkuthe
Summary: Years after the defeat of Zarkon and the retreat of the Galran empire, after the restabilization of the universe and the establishment of a new order of defenders, for one Keith Kogane, every day begins the previous evening, when he gets to lie in bed with Shiro, and then again the morning after, when he gets to watch the clouds cross the sky with him.
But every day is also a struggle.
This day, most of all.





	A Day in the Life

It was the evening, or the start of the next day, as Keith liked to think of it. He hooked his fingers under the bottom hem of his shirt and drew it slowly from his hip to his shoulder. The fabric glided smoothly over the muscles he’d earned from a lifetime of fighting and kept only because of miraculous technology. The gentle rasp of his unclothing broke the silence that filled the room.

It was the evening and the light from the moon filtered through Keith’s open window. Though the crisp night air filled him with life and set his skin and his senses atingle, the weariness of the day’s work bore down upon his body and drew him inexorably toward the bed.

Keith sat upon the mattress, absently feeling the soft silky sheets under his fingers. Once, not too long ago, they had made him uncomfortable. Not because they were bad in and of themselves, but because their luxurious nature reminded him of the heavy burden of duty and responsibility that had been unceremoniously thrust upon his inexperienced shoulders.

Keith rubbed his cheeks and propped his elbows up on his thighs. It had been _years_ since they defeated Zarkon. _Years_ since they had beaten back the Galran empire to a much more manageable size.

Even now, Keith puzzled over how he could have been so naive as to think that once they had eliminated Zarkon’s threat, that they would be free to go home to resume their normal lives. How could he have been so stupid? He realized now that the moment he had agreed to pilot one of Voltron’s lions, the moment he’d taken up his bayard, that he had essentially given up any right of his to a ‘normal’ life. Then again, hindsight was perfect and there had been no way he could have known back then.

Regardless of his own folly, Keith quickly learned that vanquishing one great evil didn’t restore order to the universe overnight. Instead, Zarkon’s death had created a power vacuum and the resulting struggle, between every villainous crook that decided that then was the time to claim a corner of the universe for themselves, nearly tore everything they’d worked so hard for apart.

Now the universe was a lot more stable, thanks to the work that Keith and his team had done over the years. Even so, during the short time they’d returned to earth, Keith had been dismayed that Earth itself didn’t quite _feel_ like home anymore.

It wasn’t until later that Keith realized why. His heart had decided that home was somewhere else. That home was _with_ _**someone**_ else.

_“Hard day?” Shiro whispered, with a chuckle. He sat up from the bed, and the sheets that had covered him fell away, sliding down to bare his chest, pooling around his waist. “I can always tell when you have that thinking look on your face. It’s cute. Always feels somewhat out of place, too.”_

_Keith turned and playfully punched Shiro in shoulder. “Are you trying to imply that I don’t think much?” he said, stealing a kiss from Shiro’s lips before the older paladin could respond._

_“Are you trying to imply that you do?” Shiro said, grinning, as he pressed his lips to Keith’s neck. Keith shivered at the intimate gesture, then sighed as he felt warm fingers crawl up his back to press and rub his shoulders. “I can feel how tense you are…”_

_“Yeah,” said Keith. “It was a hard day, alright. If by hard you mean mind-numbingly boring. You’d think that they’d learn by now that not every unidentified alien transmission is a coded Galran threat. Like in this case, it might just be an advertisement from some far off planet about male genital enhancement.”_

_Keith brushed his thumb over Shiro’s cheek, then pulled away in surprise. He blinked and said, with a smirk. “Why are you blushing, Shiro?”_

Keith rolled into bed, making sure to avoid settling in Shiro’s spot as much as he could. He didn’t bother pulling the blankets over his body. Not yet. He took a moment to just enjoy the soft mattress after having to sit in a chair nearly all day.

_“N-nothing,” Shiro squeaked, as Keith turned to face away from him. He wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist and pulled to bring him closer. “It’s just that you’re kind of cute when you start ranting like this…” Keith chuckled. He knew Shiro well enough that that wasn’t_ really _the reason._

_“Come on, big boy,” said Keith, rolling over to face Shiro. He tapped the black paladin on the cheek. “Out with it Shiro.”_

_“Well… I thought since you were so tense…” The tinge of pink that had coloured Shiro’s cheeks deepened into red. “Well, you see… Allura taught me a bit about massaging today since I was off duty and because my shoulder—never mind. Anyway, I was thinking that maybe I could give you a…_ special _massage.”_

_“Hang on,” said Keith, as he walked two fingers up the side of Shiro’s face, then combed them through the lock of white hair that hung over Shiro’s forehead. “You didn’t tell me your shoulder was bothering you again.”_

Shiro had to be one of the nicest, most bull-headed people that Keith had ever had the strange pleasurable displeasure to know. The extent to which he went to hide things that inconvenienced him for the sake of other people was simply _astonishing._ Keith wanted to scream.

_“Well…” Again Shiro looked away, the red shade on his cheeks turning into something more akin to crimson. “I forgot…” he mumbled. Keith raised an eyebrow. Like he was going to buy that. “…Okay, fine. I didn’t want to distract you from your mission.”_

_“You flatter yourself too much,_ Takashi, _” said Keith, letting the name roll off of his tongue in the most honeyed tone that he could muster. “As if I would let myself worry about you while on duty.”_

Keith couldn’t help but smile. The way that Shiro’s eyes narrowed, and the way that he drew an involuntary gasp at the mere _suggestion_ that his affections weren’t returned was cute. It was also an image that Keith was pretty sure he could never forget, no matter what happened.

And yet, despite all his faults, Shiro, as far as Keith was concerned, was perfect in every way. Even sexually. Oh _god._ _Especially_ sexually.

_“But you know, Shiro,” Keith drawled, drawing from the previous, sexually-charged moment. “Now that I’m off duty, you’re more than welcome to… let’s just say…_ distract _me.” He drew a single finger down the side of Shiro’s torso. That wandering finger dipped underneath the sheets to find that Shiro’s cock was straining and already leaking._

_“My, my,” said Keith, “excited, aren’t we?” With one deft motion, Keith planted himself on top of Shiro. He straddled Shiro’s groin with his knees. His own crotch rested over the bulge in the sheets that Shiro’s cock, pinned underneath him, made._

Keith shifted to make things comfortable. His free hand, wandered down his own bare chest, tweaking a nipple on the way down.

These days it was rare that Keith got this worked up, but after a while of being pent up, this was one of those days that he just couldn’t resist some self-indulgence. Keith slipped his fingers under the waistband of his pants, undoing the button and the fly with a single twirl of the digits.

_Briefly removing himself from Shiro, Keith shucked his pants clean across the room, exposing his cock and his butt to the chill night air. He quickly wrapped his own fingers around his shaft and_ moaned _as he lowered himself back on top of Shiro’s sheet-covered manhood._

_Part of what made Shiro so perfect for Keith, in terms of sex, was the very thing that made him insufferable elsewhere. Shiro was so focused on everyone else that it almost seemed natural how submissive he was in bed. There was definitely something to be said about the way that Shiro put the pleasure of his partner far and above all other things—even his own._

_Keith felt_ incredibly _lucky to be the partner in Shiro’s case._

_Then, there was that red flush that always stained Shiro’s face before lovemaking. Oh how Keith_ lived _for that look. Then, there was the way that Shiro’s arms lay akimbo to either side of him, fingers splayed open, palms facing the ceiling, hands not having the slightest inclination to drift down to the groin for self-pleasure.”_

_As if to tie up the package in a neat, lacy, incredibly suggestive bow, were Shiro’s lidded barely-coherent eyes glancing furtively up at Keith, but otherwise remaining faithfully glued onto Keith’s cock._

Damn, Keith thought to himself. He’d definitely scored quite the catch in Shiro.

_Slowly, Keith moved his hands up and down, stroking his own cock at a languid pace that made Shiro’s breath catch in his throat. “Don’t you want to touch yourself, big boy?” Keith teased._

_Shiro’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Instead, he gulped, audibly, and then shook his head. “Alright,” said Keith, with a smirk. “Suit yourself.”_

Soon enough Keith hit the limits of his patience. He pumped his cock faster and harder as his breaths synchronized to the beat, coming in shorter and more laboured. _Fuck._ As he rapidly approached orgasm, he acknowledged that he had been more pent up than he had realized.

Try as he might, Keith could not stop the soft mewls that escaped him. The high-pitched moans of pleasure that spilled past his lips despite his best attempts whenever he stroked himself _just right._

At first, Keith was somewhat self-conscious, what with the open window treating anyone outside to a round of his blissful vocalization. Eventually, he was too engrossed with the act that he didn’t care. He moaned with abandon as the pleasure rippled through him. Up and down he slammed his hand along his shaft, glad for the copious amounts of pre-come that was lubricating his frantic masturbation.

_Underneath Keith, Shiro squirmed. Through the thin sheet that separated their skin, Keith could feel Shiro’s cock straining. He could_ see _the way that Shiro’s abdominal muscles tensed with each stroke._ God. _If only he had had more energy, Keith would have very much enjoyed carrying on with the teasing, edging himself, and, by extension, Shiro, for hours on end._

_Each pump of Keith’s fist sent pleasure surging through his body and he moaned wantonly because he knew that the sounds he made drove Shiro crazy. “K-Keith!” Shiro whimpered, desperately, despite having not touched his own cock._

_Keith himself was near the edge. Oh how he would have loved rimming Shiro until Shiro begged for his thick cock. He would have loved to ram his member into Shiro’s hole, pounding the black paladin into the bed until either the mattress or Shiro’s legs gave out. This, though—this was an entirely different way to ruin Shiro and Keith loved it_ every _bit as much._

_“Ready to cum, big boy?” Keith managed through gritted teeth. He was so godddamn close that one stray thought would have been enough to send him over the edge, but he clung on because it was essential to the big finale. “Not until I do, got me?” he said, barely clinging on to coherence._

_Shiro nodded and could only whimper in response._

“Fuuuuck!”

That had been enough to send Keith past the point of no return. It was a slippery slope, and he couldn’t stop himself. Not anymore. Not after so long. He sped up his already-frenetic stroking and surrendered himself to the uncontrollable tumble over the edge.

The world turned white as the intense orgasm ripped through every fibre of Keith’s being. His own racing heartbeat thundered in his ears, but that didn’t keep him from hearing Shiro’s soft, shuddering, echoing groan as he came hands-free.

It wasn’t too long after that when the weariness of the past few days finally caught up to Keith and he fell—more like crashed—into a deep slumber.

 

###

 

_Keith’s first response, as it had been for a while now, when the first rays of morning light streaming through the open window warmed his face, was an annoyed growl. He’d been having such a good sleep, but_ no _the sun just_ had _to ruin it all._

_Shiro’s low chuckle_ almost _startled Keith out of his grumpiness, but he just grunted instead. He grabbed a fistful of the sheets and turned to cover his face with them. “Five more minutes, mom,” Shiro teased. “Well, if that’s how you’re going to be, Keith, I’m going to go make coffee.”_

Though Keith felt Shiro’s arms unwind from his midriff, it wasn’t until almost a full minute later when he blindly reached back and grumbled “Don’t go…” By then, it was much too late. The place where Shiro had slept beside him was already cool to the touch. There was nothing but a faint ghost of warmth there, a shade of a memory of the body that had been there in the past.

Keith huffed as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and groggily rubbed the lingering fragments of dreams from his eyes. Weekday mornings were the _worst._ He had always liked the weekends, when he could stay in bed, doing nothing, maybe cuddling with Shiro, the best.

Slowly, Keith shuffled to the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush off of the plastic cup by the sink.

_Stifling a yawn, Keith started brushing his teeth just as Shiro passed by the open door. He glanced up just in time to see Shiro backtrack to stand in the doorway, smile, then give him a cute little wave. “Coffee will be done in a little bit, Keith,” he said._

_Keith waved his own hand dismissively as he slipped his hand under the waistband of the boxers he’d pulled on at the last minute, to not_ appear _savage, and scratched his butt._

After brushing his teeth and dousing his face with ice-cold water, Keith shambled to the kitchenette that had _somehow_ been squeezed into their quarters. He was still half-asleep, but the face-washing had left him feeling a tiny bit more awake now than he had been earlier.

Keith sat down at the table and gratefully took the steaming mug of coffee that was provided to him. “Thank you,” he said.

_“Are you heading out again today?” said Shiro, leaning against the counter by the tiny but surprisingly-effective oven._

“Yeah,” said Keith, almost absently. He looked down at the coffee mug and mulled over things in silence for a few moments before taking a sip. “It’s a special day today, you know.”

_“Oh, yeah,” said Shiro. Then, his voice took on a bit of a sharper edge. “You don’t have to keep doing this, you know. It’s not really necessary anymore. You could just stay here. At home. With me.”_

“Can we not do this today?” said Keith. “I’m a paladin. You’re a paladin. We’re paladins. This is what we do for our own.” He took another swig of coffee. It was somewhat bitter, but that was how he liked it. It tingled on the way down his throat and then blossomed into a pleasant heat in his stomach.

_“He’s dead, Keith,” said Shiro._

Keith shook his head. “I know,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I can forget. Just like that. I’m going, you know. Whether you want me to or not.”

_“I wouldn’t stop you,” said Shiro. “Not that I could. But be careful, okay? Take care of yourself.”_

Keith nodded. Of course. He was always careful. Someone depended on him now, after all. He was still needed, and he couldn’t afford to throw everything away because of some stupid notion his mind came up with.

_“Oh, and if you don’t mind,” said Shiro, almost shyly, “can you please talk to Pidge? She’s been cooped up the last couple of days and at this point, I think that you’re the only one that might be able to get through to her.”_

“I don’t know…” said Keith, although a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “You two were always closer… I wonder what you did wrong. Must be a reason she can’t or doesn’t want to talk to you.”

_Shiro walked over to the table and placed his mechanical hand on Keith’s shoulder. It was warm and tingly, even through the uniform he wore. Purely on instinct, Keith reached up and covered Shiro’s fingers with his own. “Please, Keith?” he said. “For me? I think you might understand the situation better than anyone else.”_

“Alright,” said Keith. He grabbed his jacket and slung it over his shoulder as he got up from the chair. He made for the door, but not before pausing to smile and say “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. You know I’m not very good at these kinds of things.”

_Shiro chuckled and the two shared an intense kiss that made Keith’s legs tremble. “I’ll see you later,” said the black paladin, just as the door slid open to let Keith out.”_

“O-oh!” said a young man that, as far as Keith could gather, had been standing in front of the door for some time now. From the look on his face, Keith could only imagine that he was put up to whatever task against his will. “Sir Keith! I was just… Who were you talking to?”

Keith looked over his shoulder at the door that had just slid shut behind him. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Oh,” he said, chuckling, “No one important.”

“If you say so, sir!” said the boy. “I was sent here by Princess Allura to tell you that—”

Keith didn’t let the boy finish. He knew what he was being asked to do. Every year, around this time, it happened without fail anyway. “I know, I know,” he said. “Pidge isn’t leaving her lab again, is ignoring food, and no one can talk to her. I need to go and see how she’s doing and try to get her to at least come to the kitchen.”

“Y-yes sir!” said the young man, nearly dropping the data-pad he’d been clinging on to as he awkwardly saluted Keith.

“Well, then you’re dismissed. Kindly tell the princess that I’ll do my best, but that I can’t really do much unless she authorizes lethal force.”

 

###

 

“Hey Pidge,” said Keith, pointedly ignoring the doors that were sporadically sparking and refusing to close the whole way behind him. “I heard you were being more antisocial than usual.”

“You know why,” Pidge grumbled, barely even recognizing Keith’s presence. She didn’t even look up from the telescope she was peering through.

Keith looked around the lab and saw a few things that he would have rather not. His heart throbbed painfully when he saw the half-finished android that lay slumped in the corner of the lab. He fought back despair when he saw the ‘canister’ of memories, that sat almost dutifully enshrined on a pedestal in the centre of the space, before promptly refusing to acknowledge its existence.

“Hey,” said Keith, softly. He pulled up one of the handful of stools scattered about the place. “You don’t have to keep doing this,” he said. He could only inwardly wince as he realized he was parroting Shiro’s words.

“What do you mean I don’t _have_ to keep doing this?” Pidge demanded. She slammed the palm of her hand on the desk in front of her, jarring everything that wasn’t pinned down or heavy enough to resist the force. She briefly glanced at Keith when she switched out the specimen she was examining. “I guess you’re right,” she murmured. “I _need_ to keep doing this.”

“Really?” said Keith. “Do you really think this is what—”

The words died unsaid in Keith’s throat when all of a sudden, he felt Pidge’s finger jab at the centre of his chest. “Don’t you _dare_ finish that sentence,” she said, looking at him with a fierce determination burning in her eyes. “Don’t you _dare,_ ” she repeated, with a twinge of regret.

“I failed…” Pidge said, looking down at the floor. Keith shook his head. No. “You damn well _know_ that I failed!” she said, poking Keith repeatedly in the chest until it hurt.

Keith wanted to say something, but didn’t really know how to. There were tears streaming down the sides of Pidge’s face, and he wasn’t sure if anything he had to say would help the situation. “I have no goddamn idea why _you_ of all people are taking it so well. But fuck me, Keith. Look at you! Look at what the technology could have done if I had finished it on time!”

Keith often _did_ look at himself. Long ago, he’d done so with regret and resentment, but nowadays he did so in appreciation. He was blessed with the body of someone much younger.

Thanks to Pidge, eternal youth was now something achievable. Even though Zarkon had discovered the secret before them, he had sacrificed so much in its pursuit that the entire universe had suffered. Pidge did what no one thought possible and _created_ a way that involved no harm whatsoever.

Keith took a deep breath and prepared himself for a verbal lashing. “Shit happens, Pidge,” he said. “That’s just how life happens.”

Keith felt a pang of immediate remorse at the way that Pidge looked up at him, stubbornly rubbing the tears from the corners of her eyes. She was glaring at him, with an intensity that, if looks could kill, would have ended him then and there. “Just how life is,” Pidge repeated, incredulous and furious all at the same time.

“Who the fuck says life _has_ to be unfair, Keith?” Pidge demanded. “If only I had worked harder. If only I had just… Given up a little bit more sleep. I could have handled it. I could have finished… I would have finished…”

Pidge broke down sobbing, and all Keith could do was lay a hand on her shoulder. She reached out and took his other hand in her own. “I’m _so_ sorry.”

“what for?” said Keith, with a gentle smile. “Being a big crybaby?” he said. “But no, seriously. It wasn’t your fault and you _definitely_ don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

“Oh fuck off, Kogane,” said Pidge, roughly shoving Keith away. “I know that you’re hurting. I just know you are. Leave me to my work if you can’t even grow the balls to be honest to me,” she said, wiping away the tears with the sleeves of her lab coat.

Keith stiffened at Pidge’s words. She spoke the truth, but a truth that he didn’t want to acknowledge. He moved off of the stool and slung his jacket over his shoulder. He turned his back to Pidge. “Sure,” he said, tone dark. He remembered why he didn’t like doing this. It hurt.

“As you wish, princess,” Keith added, only _just_ ducking in time to avoid the microscope, a _really_ expensive and _really_ heavy piece of equipment, that had been launched toward his head.

“And you better fix that fucking door, too!” Pidge yelled, before repeatedly banging the side of her fist on the table.

Keith regarded the mangled microscope that lay in front of him for a moment. Then, he nodded, wiped the tears away from his eyes, and excused himself from the premises.

 

###

 

Outside the castle was a vast grassy plain, stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a beautiful sight to behold, and for good reason.

_Shiro walked up to Keith, helmet firmly ensconced in the crook of his arm. “Looks like a good place, doesn’t it?” he said. “Nice view. Relaxing… We could start a school here, and everyone will have somewhere to go if ever protecting the universe got to be too stressful.”_

Yeah, Keith still wasn’t convinced that that was the only reason Shiro had proposed this planet. It was beautiful, for sure, but it was also deeply special. For the both of them. After their first failed assault on Zarkon to rescue Allura, this was where they’d ended up stranded.

This was the first place that they had spent significant time alone together ever since Shiro was captured by the Galra. This was the place where, even though they hadn’t known it at the time, old flames were rekindled.

_Keith was so deep in thoughts that he barely noticed that Shiro had gone on ahead, walking toward one of the large, sturdy-looking trees that dotted the rolling plain._

In the distance, there was a familiar silhouette. Wearing all black, the paladin was stark against the bright sunlight, whose warmth was tempered only by the cool breeze that sent the grass covering the vast verdant expanse rippling.

Slowly, Keith made his way to the figure. That uniform. That helmet. Memory and reality blurred together. Past and present became as one. It was the black paladin. That much was unmistakable. He and Keith had a few words they needed to share today, especially after the failed conversation with Pidge.

_“Hey Keith,” said Shiro, turning to face him. Shiro’s face was bright in the sunlight, and the white lock of hair that hung over his forehead almost seemed to shimmer as the wind whipped it about. His cheeks and the scar that travelled across the bridge of his nose were tinged faintly pink. “Nice day today, huh?” he said._

Keith blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear it of the memory. “Sir?” said the man in the uniform. “Are you alright?”

Keith forced a smile. “Never better,” he said, unable to help the hint of bitterness that crept into his words. He walked up to stand next to the black paladin and stood there, absentmindedly toying with the badge that adorned the chest of his uniform. The badge that signified he’d given up his days of heroism to let the next generation take over. “Relax, soldier,” he said. “It’s just us.”

Next thing Keith knew, there was a pair of arms thrown about him. The touch was warm and welcoming. It was a luxury he rarely afforded himself nowadays, but it was a luxury he nevertheless appreciated. “Pa,” said the black paladin, “I miss dad so much… How do you manage?”

“Day by day,” said Keith, solemnly, as he let his fingers alight upon the cool, smooth stone of the grave that lay nestled amongst the roots of the tree. “I miss him too,” he said, a single tear creeping unbidden down the side of his face.

Keith turned to face his son, the product of amazing technology that had produced him from Keith’s and Shiro’s genes together. “I wish he were here,” Keith said, cupping his son’s cheek in one hand. “I know he would have been proud of you, too.”

A gust of wind whipped past the two men as the lions soared overhead and landed a ways away to the east. “Thanks, pa,” said the black paladin. “I know he would be proud of what you do now, too.”

Keith chuckled. “Stop it with that nonsense. He’d call me senile,” he said, with a smile. He gently punched his son in the shoulder, reminiscent of the way they used to elbow each other in the flight simulator. “Anyway, you should go. I can see that your team is waiting.”

“Alright,” said the black paladin. “I will see you later, sir.” Keith chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair. “Stay safe, pa.”

“Hardly dangerous training the next generation of defenders of the universe,” said Keith.

The black paladin took off toward the rest of the team and the lions. “Just like your father,” said Keith, with a contented sigh. He waved as his son walked off toward the other paladins and felt a pleasant tingling all over as the boy turned and waved back.

As the black paladin reached down to entangle the red paladin’s fingers in his own, Keith couldn’t help but wonder what the chances were that his boy, the black paladin, and the red would get together much like he and Shiro had in their time. Fate had a funny way of working, he supposed. In any case, he was partly glad that he no longer had to deal with its machinations.

Keith sighed and sank down to sit next to the marble grave. The lions took off for the day’s training with a dull roar in the distance. He leaned back against the cool stone and rested his head on the marble. “Look at them, Shiro,” he murmured. “Our time’s over. Theirs has just begun but already they’re so much better at this than we ever were.”

Keith chuckled, knowing what they would have both said, if they were still together. “They’re going to be bigger than us, those fuckers,” he said, with a laugh.

“Eh, but that’s okay,” said Keith. “Better I gave that up. It wasn’t the same without you, anyway.”

Keith closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air deeply. It smelled faintly of sakura blossoms, like the day they’d both come to terms with how they felt. “Nope,” he said, to no one in particular. “It definitely wasn’t the same without you.”

_Keith turned so that he could lie down on the grass and stare up at the cerulean sky, watching as the wispy clouds slowly meandered from one horizon to the next. “Hey Keith,” said Shiro, as their fingers intertwined. “I love you.”_

Keith touched the grave with trembling fingers.

“I love you too, Shiro.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, one of the first things that might cross your mind is, "wow the tags on this were so bare-bones." And you're right. I'm one of the first people to advocate for properly tagging works. However, this particular fic relies heavily on the impact of the twist at the end, and to have that spoiled in the tags is a bit counter-intuitive.
> 
> Instead, I opted for a different approach. I simply _hinted_ at what was to come not just through the narrative, but through the formatting of the story itself. It isn't apparent at first, but it quickly becomes clear that the italicised portions are just Keith's memories, somehow synchronizing with the present day.
> 
> In any case, I hope I haven't upset too many people, and that the fluff and angst were in just the right proportion that this was a compelling piece. Please, leave a kudos if you liked this fic and leave me a comment if you want to brighten my day! It would be _much_ appreciated.
> 
> P.S. This fic wasn't beta'd as my fics normally would be, so please forgive any minor grammatical errors. :3. I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
